Hardware Guidelines

The following guidelines will help you find potential computers to purchase:

1. Computers must have a minimum of 16GB of RAM.
2. The University's license agreement with Microsoft requires all computers we image with Windows to have been purchased with a copy of Windows. To save costs, please buy the cheapest version of the Windows OS, as we will be erasing it and replacing it with our own.
3. Extended Warranties and accidental damage protections are highly recommended.
4. Warranty options are not always easily found on online purchase sites. If you can't find a warranty option for your purchase, let the business office know what kind of warranty you are looking for and they will work with the supplier to get it.
5. Enterprise models are preferred to consumer models for their reliability and more robust support options.
6. All Apple computers should be purchased through TechZone. Engineering IT can acquire quotes from TechZone upon request.

Below you will find a list of recommended manufacturers and models.

• Dell: Precision series, Optiplex series, Latitude 5300, 5400, 5500, 7300, 7400, and 7500 series
• Alienware Laptops
• Apple: Macbook, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro

The University has contracts with the above manufactures and hardware supplier CDWG. It is recommend you use their websites to search for equipment.

When you have an idea of the computer that you would like to purchase, please contact Engineering IT at engrit-help@illinois.edu to request a price quote - we will work with you to customize the quote to your needs and ensure appropriate cost.

Warranty Guidelines

Engineering IT highly recommends purchasing a 5 year warranty and 5 year accidental damage protection on all computer purchases. Any out-of-warranty repairs will not be paid for by the CS department, and so must be paid out-of-pocket by the owning PhD student. The CS department will not pay for any repairs or replacements should your machine break out of warranty (this includes spills or drops on machines without accidental damage protection).

EngrIT Support

University and Engineering IT policy requires Engineering IT to handle all University owned computers before use. In almost all cases computers go through an imaging process, wiping all existing data on the computer. We then install a University licensed OS, University licensed software, and the University's security software. Equipment ordered through the CS PhD equipment program are automatically imaged by EngrIT prior to pickup at receiving.

Apple devices should be purchased through TechZone. It is not only the only source of on-campus Apple products, machines bought there are automatically added to our system, speeding up the set up process. After imaging, a program called "Managed Software Center" will be present on all Mac computers, allowing easy install of University licensed software.

All other computers are imaged with Windows. Windows machines have a program called "Software Center" installed on them, allowing easy install of University licensed software.

Since these devices are primarily for traditional office use (word processing, email, telecom, etc.), Linux is not recommended. If you want Linux, bring your machine to the helpdesk in Siebel 2302 and IT can install Ubuntu and the security software on your device. Please note that Engineering IT has limited Linux support compared to Apple or Windows machines.

As always, please email engrit-help@illinois.edu at anytime with questions or issues.